EU

15 November 2012: At the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council meeting on 9 November 2012, Council members agreed to form a High-level Group to provide recommendations related to the feasibility of a global market-based measure (MBM) scheme for greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation and to develop a policy Framework to guide the general application of any proposed MBM for air transport activity.

14 November 2012: The European Commission has released a study of design options for the new market mechanism (NMM) defined in the outcomes of the Durban Climate Conference, which took place in December 2011, under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

14 November 2012: The European Commission has presented options for reforming the EU Emissions Trading System (EUETS) to resolve the problem of supply-demand imbalances of emission allowances. The proposal calls for back-loading auction volumes in 2013 to reduce the allowance surpluses that have accrued during the economic crisis, and launching a debate on structural reform measures.

13 November 2012: The European Council adopted conclusions on climate finance during the 3198th meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council. The Council confirmed contribution to date of €7.1 billion by the EU to meet its fast start finance (FSF) commitments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

25 October 2012: A news alert released by the EU Directorate-General of the Environment (DG-Environment) explores the annual average global annual decline of seagrass beds by 1.5% since 1900, which is now accelerating, noting they are an important carbon sink.

5 October 2012: The EU Sustainable Water Integrated Management (SWIM) - Support Mechanism (SM) and the Global Water Partnership - Mediterranean (GWP-Med) conducted a regional training for local water managers on “Identification and Development of Climate Change No-Regret Actions in the Water Sector.”

24 October 2012: A study for the European Commission's Directorate-General for Climate Action developed by CE Delft, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research and LEI Wageningen indicates that behavioral changes can complement technological changes and can allow emission reduction targets to be reached more cost-effectively, particularly if carried out in the areas of transport, housing and food.

25 October 2012: The EU Council convened to prepare for the upcoming 18th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) to the UNFCCC and the 8th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP/MOP 8), scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar, from 26 November – 7 December 2012.

24 October 2012: The European Commission has released an annual report detailing progress in 2011 towards achieving the EU target under the Kyoto Protocol, while the European Environment Agency (EEA) has published an associated analysis of EU greenhouse gas (GHG) trends. The report on progress finds that EU GHG emissions have decreased for the 27 EU Member States by 2.5% in 2011.

The EU Rail Policy Conference, titled "Unravelling the new railway package," aims to bring together the latest research and practical experience to consider rail policy issues, including: efficient approaches for vertical separation, passenger market competition, and effective regulation. The aim of the EU Rail Policy Conference is to have a wide debate to generate insights on the way forward.